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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28262421">Prepare for The Fright of Your Life</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ARSONjST/pseuds/ARSONjST'>ARSONjST</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Clairvoyant and The Illusionist [9]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dream SMP - Fandom, Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Arson, Fire, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Mild Gore, this whole series is angst, watch me overhaul the tubbo tag by MYSELF.</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 01:41:47</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,256</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28262421</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ARSONjST/pseuds/ARSONjST</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Tommy helps the set-up of the festival and meets a familiar face again.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>No Romantic Relationship(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Clairvoyant and The Illusionist [9]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2013421</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>63</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Prepare for The Fright of Your Life</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Tommy just has shit luck continuously in this series, huh?<br/>also, I am not sorry for the flashback<br/>:)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The cold air seemed to freeze Tommy’s hands after only a few minutes, and the faint early morning sun offered no help. Tommy lugged a big red bag over his shoulder, Fundy beside him doing the same. They had been told they had to help set up for the festival, so here they were, dragging the supplies that made their breath restrict when they carried it. Approaching a stall labeled ‘flower shop’ they dropped their bags and Tommy groaned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I swear, these things are twice my weight!” He shouts, causing the fox shapeshifter to laugh in sharp, high-pitched exhales. Tommy groaned and muttered a string of curses as he cracked his back and tore open his bag. Inside there were supplies for the large plant-covered stall, and as he glanced at Fundy’s he saw that he had the other half of the supplies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look, all we have to do is unload this stuff and set it up according to the blueprints stapled here.” Fundy shrugged, beginning to grab some supplies out of his bag, “and the faster we do this, the faster we get back to fireplaces and heating.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re right.” Tommy chuckles and begins to empty his bag onto the table. The two work in silence, with the occasional sly comment at the other about a misplacement of an item or the weather. The breeze is relentless and constantly blowing, making it through their clothing and making even their skin icy. Snow starts to fall by the time the two are finished, but it’s too frigid to even enjoy the flakes that drift down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me, gentlemen!” A familiar voice shouts and Tommy cranes his neck to see someone approaching. His breath hitches and a tremor rolled through his body as a chill of dread ran up his spine. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tubbo..?” Fundy’s voice trembles, his ears flattening as his posture straightened. The boy cocks his head to the side at their seemingly odd, but nods. He seems the same, body language-wise, but Tommy notes the three-piece suit, which was something Tubbo would’ve never worn without being told to, and the odd blue semi-circle that wraps around only the right side of his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sorry, you guys just seemed shocked to see me? Do we… know each other?” Tubbo rocked back and forth, his hands idly rubbing together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do we know each other?” Tommy lets out a short, miserable huff from his lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tubbo bites his lip after he says, “Yeah, that's what I asked--”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We were best friends, Tubbo!” Tommy exclaimed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Surely not, I’d remember my best friend.” Tubbo crossed his arms, half-stepping back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wh-what do you mean you don’t remember me? We grew up together!” His breath hitched as he stammered and all Tommy could do was stare in shock at his lifelong “best friend.” Every memory he’d ever made with him rushed back in a flurry of emotions that filled his senses. But the first-ever true promise they’d made stuck into his brain like a splinter.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“It’s us against the world.” Tubbo had promised one night, right as the flames outside began to lick at the interior of the home. As the fire began to roar, Tommy told Tubbo to stay put as he ran into the adjacent room his parents slept in. In a rush of emotions, he screamed the home was burning. Back in the room, he came from, the fire raced up the fabric blanket. Burning bright,  it was hot and red against any fabric and skin it managed to touch, and Tubbo’s screams and pleas pierced through the crackling of the flames. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Get Tubbo and run, now!” His father had shoved him in the hall as the back door burst open from outside. Panicking, a nine-year-old Tommy grabbed the slightly older boy, and in a rush slammed his hands into his leg that had flames spiraling up from it. His lungs were filled with smoke that smelled like bacon and metal. Tubbo screamed the whole time, begging Tommy to stop it and Tommy tried. He tried so hard. But he couldn’t save the delicate flesh.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Please, just hold on! We’ll get help!” Tommy cried, shifting the slightly older boy into his arms. Sparing no glances back at his parent's scuffle in the kitchen with some hunters, Tommy ran into the woods, tears burning his eyes as he desperately clawed at Tubbo. The youngest was pleading for help as the smell of burning covered his leg and the smoke-filled his lungs so much that he couldn’t talk without coughing. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>In a clearing, Tommy collapsed in a coughing fit as his legs burned from running so far. He hacked until his lungs squeezed and constricted, he felt hot tears slip down his cheeks as he realized he was unable to breathe anymore. Tubbo fell onto the ground, unable to walk due to his injured leg. He pulled Tommy under the foliage, gripping the blonde’s arms and holding him close.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“It’s us against the world. It’s us against the world.” Tubbo repeated in a pained frenzy, pressing his forehead to that of his friends. They hid under the thick foliage at the edge of the clearing, sharing body heat and protection from the cold winter night. All Tommy could think of was his home and the memories of the family inside. A mother and father, who did all they could to raise their son and his friend. They’d repressed the sights of sounds of their parents into the back of their own minds. Their parents went up in smoke, why couldn’t his memories do the same?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Don’t move!” A voice shouted from above, and on instinct, Tommy gripped Tubbo’s shirt, prepared to tear the boys onto his back and carry him away.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Who’s there?” The voice said again, gentler. Tommy looks over at the voice, noticing it's from a small brunette girl who can’t be much older than them, coughing into his sleeve roughly as Tubbo hisses and whimpers in pain beside him.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“H-Help!” The elder cried, the young girl turned, her skirt splaying in a circle as she looked feverishly. Her eyes settled on the boys cowering and her breath caught, turning sharply and whipping back into the house she cried, “Philza! Wilbur! The noise was two kids! Please hurry, I think they’re badly hurt!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now that promise that Tubbo had repeated felt... </span>
  <em>
    <span>fake</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, I wish I knew you two, you seem lovely.” Tubbo looked away, and to Tommy, those words were a dagger through his heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-What?!” Tommy shouted and Fundy held a hand up as he saw someone approach. Ears turned back, pinned to the sides of his head, Fundy bowed his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Secretary Tubbo.” The man spoke, ram horns shining in the light, “Is there a problem?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, no sir. I was simply about to tell these two that the main room of the castle is open for them to sit in for lunch. But do… do I know them, sir?” Tubbo shifts awkwardly and Schlatt grins, scraping his sharp nails across the side of the boy's jaw, just enough to draw blood. With curious eyes, Tommy and Fundy watch as Tubbo’s irises glow a pale blue color and pulse a few times before the bright blue circle around them finally fully completes its rotation around his blue iris.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.” Schlatt says, his yellow eyes narrowing in the direction of Tommy as he grins with his fanged teeth, “not anymore, anyways. C’mon Kid, we’ve got things to do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir.” Tubbo bows to the two in front of him and sharply turns, walking uniformly beside Schlatt. The ram grins and ruffles the secretary's hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What, and I cannot stress this enough,” Fundy looked back at Tommy, “The </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>, was that?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He doesn’t remember me..?” Tommy mused, looking down at the green string that held the necklace he’d been gifted by Philza. Did Tubbo even still have his matching necklace and charm?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No no, he does. I could see it, there was a pull!” Fundy tries to reassure the human before him, but Tommy just casts his gaze aside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was mind control.” Tommy states plainly, adjusting a few of the plants on the stand and doing one last run over of the blueprint, “can you go tell Eret so he can tell my dad?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your dad?” Fundy asks and Tommy reddens as he snaps, “Philza! Ugh, just- let's go dickhead!”</span>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tommy makes his way to the castle, following Fundy. They’d decided it was simply too cold to keep stacking items, and they knew they’d rather not get frostbite. As they slipped in, Fundy took to the stairs to go find Eret, while Tommy walked over towards a group of mismatched people.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Against a wall, two generally tall guys sat. One wore a creeper mask that hid the majority of his face and the other was a clear hybrid due to the patches of Enderman skin that littered his visible, otherwise human, skin. Across from them was Sapnap, a guard Tommy vaguely remembered from their first day at the castle. The hybrid looks up and sees Tommy, he grins and waves him over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello! I’m Ranboo.” He says, offering Tommy a cookie. The blonde happily takes it as he introduces himself, “I’m Tommy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m Sam.” The guy in the creeper mask says softly as he waves. Sapnap offers a small wave and grin but doesn’t say anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you a state guard from the new batch?” Ranboo asks and Tommy quickly shakes his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I just live here, honestly.” Tommy chuckles biting into the cinnamon smelling cookie. It makes him think of Niki.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, we’re both old army guards… nowadays we just build things.” Sam explains, “which I honestly like better.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who else do you work with?” Tommy asks, glancing around the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, there’s Purpled, Punz, Karl, and Antfrost. Punz, Karl, and Antfrost are still guarding like I am, but Purpled is just a builder like Ranboo and Sam.” Sapnap explains, “There’s also rumors of a new hire named Connor who apparently works under Schlatt, but no one has actually seen him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I doubt the guy even exists, Dream probably just made it up to screw with you.” Sam laughs softly, rubbing his hands together to try and warm them. Ranboo laughs softly, idly tapping his long fingers against the wooden floor. Tommy notes his eyes have a similar line around them like Tubbo’s.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, what with the line around your eyes? I noticed someone else with them.” Tommy abruptly blurts, Ranboo turns and sighs softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a side effect of my magic, which is called ‘temporary telekinesis.’ When I use up the magic I have, the circles slowly start to deplete until they fully unwrap my iris. If I use all of it, I’ll pass out.” Ranboo waves his hands slightly as he speaks, keeping his gaze partially beside Tommy, “Anyone who’s being mind-controlled or experiencing any level of psychic ability or telepathy will have the circles, once they circles deplete, the magic is gone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So if they rewrapped the iris, the magic is fully recharged?” Tommy asks and Ranboo nods.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s your power?” Sapnap asks, “you seem to know a good bit about magic, Tommy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not sure yet, but it’s something with telepathy I think.” Tommy explains and Sam gasps slightly beside him, “Dude! That’s rare, I wish I could do that. I can just self-destruct at will.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That's so cool though!” Tommy exclaims, Sam says a soft thank you and the group falls quiet. There are a few beats of silence before boots squeak in the doorway. Sapnap stands as a guard with white mask waves him over, calling his name sharply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh, General Dream.” Ranboo spits angrily, “ever since that army hunt, he’s been acting so cold.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s been acting super blunt to me, he won't even look at me.” Tommy rests his back against the cold brick wall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He had to kidnap a kid, from what I’ve heard.” Sam pops another cookie in his mouth, “apparently it’s screwed him up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Clearly.” Ranboo sighs, “I can’t imagine how it feels to be one of the president’s main… dogs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Probably gross. I would hate to be in his shoes.” Sam admits, laughing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tommy thinks back to everything he knows about Technoblade and how he’d raised to his position. He only became the High Chief General so he could save up enough money to help Philza. Tommy looks away as he says, “Don’t those types of people get the most money though?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm. But they have to do the shittiest tasks. Murder people, kidnap them… they’re the ones that do the army hunts. They’ll literally kidnap kids.” Ranboo shows a tag attached to his ear, “Then they bring them here to do work.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That's sick.” Tommy gags and Ranboo nods, “I miss my sister, but everyone back home is safer if I stay here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So I take it you don’t support the government here?” Tommy asks softly and both Ranboo and Sam laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hell no!” Ranboo exclaims. The group begins to laugh and their soft and abrasive banter fills the castle walls with joyful noise the bricks haven’t been able to bounce around in months. They talk about anything, magic, the government, the country itself, their favorite snacks… anything. Their conversation flows until Eret and Fundy come down and tell the guards it's time for them to go home and it’s time for Tommy to prepare for sleep. With their departure, Tommy knows one thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ranboo and Sam are new allies.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>so... yeah.<br/>follow my Tumblr @arsonlst, and don't ever be afraid to comment :)!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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